Do you take your toys on vacation with you? If you do, then we need your help!
A few weeks back we turned our first article into the Bricks Culture magazine. It was a brief introduction to the world of toy photography and featured the work of eleven talented toy photographers and friends of Stuck in Plastic. (You can order Issue #5 here.) Now that we have our first issue under our belt, it’s time to start thinking about our next article. With summer just around the corner we thought we’d talk about taking toys on vacation.
Everyone here at Stuck in Plastic has taken their toys on vacation at some time. I remember when Mike took a toy or two to Edinburgh, Boris always seems to have an adventure up his sleeve like his epic journey to Cape Nord and I’ve taken my toys to Arches Nation Park. Recently, Avanaut related his experience of taking IG-88 on his family holiday to Greece and the story that seemed to unfold unbidden. All of these experiences have made our holiday adventures more memorable.
We could go on and on about our experiences traveling with toys, but we thought it would be fun to incorporate your experiences as well. If we combine what we’ve learned with what you’ve learned, we can create a list of good practices for taking toys on vacation. Hopefully we can also learn from each other and help minimize the mishaps and maximize the magic.
If you would like to help us with our article by sharing your experiences, please answer any of the following questions in the comments section. We would also love to see an example of your toys on vacation so be sure and leave a link to one of your favorite photos.
- What do you pack first: toys, camera gear or clothes?
- Why do you take your toys on vacation with you?
- Do you travel solo, with friends or with family?
- If you travel as part off a group, are your traveling companions supportive or barely tolerant?
- What is the best (or worst) experience you’ve had with your toys on vacation?
- How do you pack your toys?
- How many toys do you bring?
- What is the biggest lego set you’ve taken on the road with you? How did you keep it together?
- Do you pre-plan your shots by packing specific characters and accessories? Or do you wing it once you’re on location?
Taking toys on vacation can be fun. It’s a wonderful way to experience a new environment all the while scoping out likely photo spots. It’s also a great way to break out of your normal routine and try something new. We’re looking forward to sharing this mostly pleasurable activity with the Bricks Culture audience. :)
You’ve heard us talk about our experiences, now it’s your turn…
~ xxSJC
Of course! I usually take up to max 3 figures. Though they are not Lego piece, on my next vacation I will be bringing along Lego 3P0 and R2. Am only just appreciating shooting minifigs! I would just use my iphone to shoot the toys , and them use the appTYPORAMA to add in some fancy typography work. Usually the captions would indicate the place I am visiting. Take them on vacation cause I love toy photography and making up stories ….what better way to take photos and creating scenes in a totally new place with zero expectations. I usually… Read more »
I carry a bigfoot (lego) with me these days, and some other fun stuff here and there. I shot Homer in DC last yr!
Hello, my name is Alex and I read your blog since long time and I follow your activity on Instagram and Facebook, but I think this is my first comment here. 1. I start with clothes as I already know what minifigure(s) will join me in my trips. 2. It’s a bit of a longer story here. The short version is that I feel that it represents me. I have a bat as my logo and many people joke calling me Batman. From here to having a Batman minifigure in photos instead of me was just a small step considering… Read more »
Sorry about the mistakes in text, I just noticed them, I haven’t slept in 2 days and I got too enthusiast about my answers and the topic hahaha :D
Toy photography and travel. What an interesting subject. In my case, I always travel with toys in the backpack and my trusty DSLR whether for vacation or for work. I have a job which allows me to travel abroad, sometimes in very unusual places (in the middle of a game reserve in Tanzania – I was not going there to hunt anything -, on a barge in the middle of the Mekong River in Laos, in La Réunion (French island in the Indian Ocean), in Brasil,…). So, at the end of the day, when I can (because my work is… Read more »
Hey guys, it’s Pulup here.. I thought I could give some answers as well.. I first pack my clothes; but I usually know which Lego I will take with me beforehand. Depending on how long my trip will be, I take at least 10-15 (for a weekend) up to 40-50 (a week-long holiday) mini figures with me. The largest set I brought with me was the camper van (60057). I usually only take my mini figures with me.. And yes, I do a lot of planning beforehand. I do some research before the trip to find out what beers I… Read more »
I hope my answers can you help 1. Clothes and finally the camera with my toy 2. First of all because I love the toy photography and secondly, because I started in this world taking photos to a little Wall·E. I have a lot of toys, but this is the only one that I consider one more member in my family. It’s funny see how the people laugh when I’m taking pictures of him in different places of the world. In fact, is something similar to the gnomes of Amelie film 3. Always I travel with my husband, but sometimes… Read more »
I think my comment is going to be extensive as it combines the two things I probably prefer to do and talk about :) During the past 4 years I’ve been lucky to have a job that often sends me abroad to interesting places. Since I started taking photos of toys, almost two years ago, I always carried at least a few minifigures alongside my camera. In addition I often went on small week-end trips to the seaside. Recently I worked on re-organizing my Flickr profile and created an album containing all the shots taken while traveling. Overall it’s almost… Read more »
Hello, Stefan from Malmö, Sweden here. This is my list: 1. I usally pack clothes first, then my camera gear and last my minifigs. 2. You never know what kind of environment you will find, new settings to shot in. 3. I travel with my family (I’m single so it is with my brother/sisters) or I travel alone. 4. Well.. They are barely tolerant I’m sad to say. 5. My worst? Almost lost a hat for a minifig, second worst is when I loose inspiration. The best? The baltic toysafari and shooting minifigs with my nieces (kids are free in… Read more »
1. my legos, then my camera, clothes tech etc. 2. Since photography is one of the main reason I go on vacation there is no doubt that I’ll leave my legos. 3. I travel with my family 4. I always vacation in a group, typically that group is my family. I leave in a big family of eight. Favorite place to go is the beach. My brother and my dad don’t take lego photography but are big into normal photography. So I can still experience the fun and receive the encouragement from them. 5. My worst experience… Well, my photography… Read more »
Hy everyone! It’s sachabricks here! Have to admit, this is my first comment here… 1.) I always pack my clothes first because I have always some figs sorted and the cam is as well with me everyday. 2.) For me it is just a very nice opportunity to take some time to shoot outdoor in amazing locations. Additionally I always think about my holidays and then be like, hm if we go there and I have no figures with me… No, no, no that would be a shame, I just pack some to be save… 3.) I always travel with… Read more »
1. I am sorry to say that clothes comes first, second is camera equipment, and that toys come third; however, toys take the longest to pack, it is sometimes hard to decide who to take! 2. I generally only get a chance to take quick photos at weekends, so holidays are an opportunity to take a little time out, explore somewhere new and build up a stock of images to gradually share with everyone online. 3. I used to travel a lot for work on my own, but I now mainly travel with family. However I did take Lego with… Read more »
Late to the party here, but yes, I took some of my minifigs and indoor furniture on an extended trip to Portugal. Not a vacation because I’d been hired to write some blog posts about Easter celebrations, the 40th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution, and general tourist stuff. I left on the trip with a general story line, two Millenials named Trendsetter and Hipster who decided to forgo getting married but to spend the wedding money on a honeymoon anyway. When I brought them to the Peixe em Lisboa festival (a celebration of fish and other locally produced food) and… Read more »